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scrambler

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Everything posted by scrambler

  1. Screw it. I'll just take some sunshine and rock.
  2. Self-preservation of identity is the first imperative. If I hold my beliefs as equal in value to my body in forming my self identity then I must preserve my social system if it is the basis for my beliefs. If I begin to think for myself then the social system need not be supported.
  3. I don't know if I'm a believer in Cap't America. By that, I mean, are we really the crusader for liberty yada yada yada? Seems WWII was more a European war fought mainly by Europeans and won largely on the basis of European lives (Soviet Union, Britain, e.g.). Seems more of a land or power grab rather than a war of ideals, e.g. the Spanish-American War and to some extent the Pacific theater of WWII. Aren't we just brutish animals deep down inside, with power plays at the basis of our motives? Fighting wars in the name of abstract ideas is a lie.
  4. No. I'm implying that there should be a common bond. Could be genetic, social, political, language, religious, etc. In other words, I don't have enough commonalities with most strangers to let them be a part of my family. Same goes with country. There aren't enough commonalities to consider the world one entity. Now for purposes such as discussing global warming, sure, I could discuss the world as an interconnected system because we all share the atmosphere and to some extent the oceans. But don't tell me I should accept another country uncritically if their interests are opposed to the ideals of my country.
  5. Do you invite all the riffraff into your family?
  6. Hinges on what your response to country is. Country: region, the people in the region, the political entity of a region--implies some cultural bond. Gibson's The Patriot was a revolutionary. At what point does a splinter become an automonous entity that exerts stronger bonds than its parent entity? If the parent entity subverts the original intent (social contract??) then does it validate the offspring entity? In my understanding, the US constitution is the focus of the relationship of the people and the government that represents them. And, liberty is the basis for the establishment of the constitution (freedom is more a state of mind as opposed to liberty). This Globalism crap should go down the toilet.
  7. scrambler

    Orgasmica

    Ever wondered how the other sex experiences an orgasm ?
  8. Something like 4000 political prisoners were executed in the century prior to the revolution. At the peak of The Terror the Communists were executing 1000 a day. This is in addition to those worked to death or starved for political purposes. I'm surprised to see you dismiss them as two bit. Perhaps analogous to the Terror that followed the toppling of the monarchy in France. What comes after in a revolution often turns into a tyrant as bad as the one disposed. Both revolutions had anti-Christian elements and seemed to proceed as pendulum-like responses to atrocities committed in the name of the Church (the Inquisition, crusades against so-called heretics, corruption among clerics, political manipulation leading to war, etc.).
  9. scrambler

    Patriot Act II

    I'm gonna be an equal opportunity slammer, actually Clinton started the ball rolling back in 1996 after the OKC bombing when he signed into law the Anti-Terrorist Act. Supposedly, this "antiterrorism" legislation not only gives the attorney general the power to use the armed services against the civilian population, nullifying the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 (which prohibited the use of federal troops for civilian law enforcement), but also selectively suspends habeas corpus, the heart of Anglo-American liberty." Here's what Clinton said before signing the act: "We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans." A year later on MTV: "A lot of people say there's too much personal freedom. When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it." I believe Bush is just continuing the trend that started before 911. Another terrorist act on US soil might be the final nail in the coffin.
  10. scrambler

    Hey Fairweather

    "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Or rather the corruption of good intentions into the Frankenstein terror of State power.
  11. scrambler

    Hey Fairweather

    Most of the books in question were motivated by a desire to provide an accurate history of precisely what transpired within the major Communist powers this century, and as such they spend most of their time describing the precise manner in which the political systems within them operated, and how many people died as a result. Most of the books also spend at least some time chronicling the popular perception of these regimes in free countries over the course of the 20th century, part of which involves asking why the leaders of these nations and the causes/ideologies that they championed retained widespread sympathy and support in the West long after the true nature of these regimes was no longer in doubt, as by this time they had exterminated several times more persons than all Fascist regimes combined. That the vast majority of those who provided the regimes with the aforementioned sympathy and support were Leftists with an ideological committment to economic collectivism is simply a historical fact that will admit of no dispute. The BBC estimates that Pinochet and his regime murdered 3,000 political opponents. This is horrible. The best scholarly estimates to date calculate a death toll of somewhere between 40 and 65 million under the Communists in China. This is between 13,333 and 21,667 times as horrible. The same studies estimate that roughly 25 million people were killed as a direct result of state policies in the Soviet Union. This is 8,333 times as horrible. Pinochet and his regime were indeed awful. The regimes presided over by Lenin, Stalin, and Mao were several orders of magnitude worse, but one would never know it by comparing the Left's denunciation of Pinochet with the stunning silence directed towards their former heros. Exhibit A: Eric Hobsbawm "IN A 1994 BRITISH television interview, the journalist Michael Ignatieff put a startling question to Eric Hobsbawm, the distinguished historian and long-time communist. ''Had the radiant tomorrow actually been created,'' Ignatieff asked, referring to the Soviet Union and its bloody history, ''the loss of 15, 20 million people might have been justified?'' Hobsbawm's answer was perhaps even more startling. ''Yes,'' responded the historian. He did not hesitate." Source Had anyone been mad enough to offer such an estimation of the Nazis or National Socialism, they would have rightly been denounced from all quarters. Yet here we have a man who is widely respected, if not revered on the Left cheerfully offering up such an assesment with no loss of esteem amongst his fellow travellers. Amazing. A few thoughts…in the interest of clarification, not ideological standing. Numbers themselves do not present a complete picture. How many of the deaths were due to specific causes, for example, how many for political assassination and seizure of dissidents as opposed to those who died as a result of faulty programs such as lame agricultural policies like those championed by the likes of Lysenko in the former USSR? I agree with the basic premise that as the leaders of totalitarian systems struggle to maintain political power a multitude of people are sacrificed. I suggest in the case of Pinochet if he and his henchmen had control of a larger population such as that of China and for a longer period of time then the total number would have been nearly proportional. It is not so much the comparison of inequal objects but rather the support our government may have given to the tyrants through official or non-official means. In a black and white world, this support is wrong. But I recognize as you stated before, that the world is shades of gray and sometimes that in the interests of geopolitics we must commingle with dictatorial governments. The man is a historian some of whom have a different perspective from you and I. Some historians see things with the eye that sees the currents of history. The lives of individuals are as meaningless and random as Brownian motion. It is the grand sweep of history that appears to endure with lasting influence. What if there were a socialist society not atheistic but religious such as a Christian socialist system, so that we would have a society not dominated by capitalistic self interest but rather would be communitarian? BTW, I think the mindless repetition of ‘give the markets free reign’ is just that, mindless.
  12. Limbaugh: "I have to live with painkillers because I'm suffering psychosomatic symptoms caused by my conservative talk radio. There's an internal contradiction between what I voice and the beliefs in my heart that I know to be true. This internal contradiction manifests as physical symptoms that I treat consequently with painkillers. I was told this by my doctors but I still think it's a left wing conspiracy."
  13. scrambler

    Hey Fairweather

    I'm not quite certain but I thought that the identification of liberals as 'bleeding hearts' was a connotation of affinity with the image of Jesus as a social activist, peace-loving, mingler with the poor and other outcasts, etc. So, seemingly anti-capitalist (throwing out the money changers), seemingly communistic (share food etc), subvert the conservative order of authority, etc.
  14. I don't expect anyone will take medical advice from here rather than see an expert. It's interesting though how some people have zero tolerance for certain substances that are classified as a carcinogen. Yet there are other carcinogens we don't mind for example gasoline with benzene is also a carcinogen. I read a list compiled by UC Berkeley biochemist, Bruce Ames, that describes common household carcinogens that we readily accept. These carcinogens include such things as beer and improperly stored peanut butter. Nature also produces carcinogens in quantity. Pine oils (PAHs)are one naturally occurring carcinogen. Some substances are poisons or carcinogens by virtue of their dosage. Water is harmless isn't it? Well drinking too much water can be very harmful and has led to coma and death. All substances are poisons. There is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiate a poison from a remedy. Dose makes the poison. --Paracelsius
  15. C'mon like Washington state doesn't have backwoods hillbilly types like around the Carbon River entrance area of Rainier NP or around other areas off the beaten path. It's funny how people criticize someone for being a Southerner by generalizing all of them as racist or intolerant when in fact the people criticizing are guilty of accusatory intolerance. I would suspect that differences in things such as violence per capita in the South as compared to other areas result from socioeconomic differences and historical contingency. I don't really give a damn because I've met good and bad people everywhere I've gone and I basically believe people have similar motivations and aspirations (and faults) regardless of their origin or culture. The same goes for rural versus urban.
  16. Hey Catbirdseat. There is a tie-in to climbing: Source I had a better article about the arsenic eaters but I lost it. It described how arsenic was believed to increase stamina and/or assist in acclimitization of these climbers who smuggled goods across this mountainous region of Austria.
  17. The Monte Cristo area was known more as a lead-silver district. Gold and other metals extracted from the ores were likely incidential but if the price of these metals are high enough then the difference in quantity is made up for. For example, the Southeast Missouri lead district primarily extracts lead with lesser amounts of silver and cadmium. The price of lead was too low to be economical but the cadmium and silver prices were high enough to keep the mines operating. BTW, the sulfide ores are also high in arsenic content. The smelter for the Monte Cristo mines was located at Everett and the influence of that activity still exists. Check the Washington State Dept. of Ecology site.
  18. U R the blackhole, son.
  19. But the cartoon is funny though it exaggerates, art imitates life. I'd rather take the freedom of climbing with friends knowing I have control over my life. Enuf said.
  20. Be the superstar of your company in 2004 by increasing its profit margin! How? Read on... "Humans and higher primates share approximately 97% of their DNA in common. Recent research in primate programming suggests computing is a task that most higher primates can easily perform. Visual Basic 6.0™ was the preferred IDE for the majority of experiment primate subjects." Welcome. Primate Programming Inc. is dedicated to the advancement and gainful employment of non-human great apes within the United States information technology sector. We are the pioneer in Primate Programming (PP) worldwide. As you explore this website, you will get an understanding and appreciation of the economics of primate programming. A skilled primate from our firm can handle code maintenance and report writing for as little as 45 cents per hour. The entire staff receives ongoing .NET training and JSP training in addition to training in XML, Java and related technologies. Primate Programming, Inc. website Check out their talent page which includes resumes and corresponding pay rates to hire. So do ya think that they could train a chimp to belay? And, more importantly, could you trust the filthy thing to stay attentive?
  21. Damn, you sound happy. That's where I want to be next year. In a happy (and young) state of mind. Climb more, do more, make more, be more.
  22. hardly, ya dog-loving ass bandito
  23. And then: Bush gets reelected in a landslide...and our civil rights continue to erode. Countless cc.com posters off themselves as a result...or so some cc.com posters wish. But their wishes blow away like a fart in the wind. Boston Basin permits become easy to obtain...and fees increase and blue bags become mandatory.
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